Beet-topping machine.



PATENTED MAY 15, 1906.

P. BROWN.

BEBT TOPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 24,1902.

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PATENTED MAY 15, 1906.

P. BROWN.

BBET TOPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.24, 1902.

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UNITED STATES PATENT o FIoE.

B EET-TOPPING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 15, 1906.

Application filed February 24, 1902. Serial No. 95 274;.

[ all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Greeley, in the county of Weld and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Beet-Topping Machines; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in machines for topping sugar-beets.

It is well known that when sugar-beets are stored away for future use in manufacturing sugar therefrom if the crowns are not removed sprouts or buds will form on the outer surface of the crown and if allowed to remain will absorb and diminish the saccharine matter contained in the beet, thereby causing great loss to the manufacturer. Heretofore the crowns have been removed by hand, which method is quite expensive and consumes a large part of the profit.

The object of my invention is to provide a machine for removing the tops and the crowns of sugar-beets, and thus prevent the formation of sprouts or buds.

Another object is to provide a machine that will be applicable to both factory and field use and which may be stationary or may be equipped with runners or wheels for the purpose of moving it from place to place.

It is also an object to so arrange the knives for severing the tops of the beets that they will operate alternately, thereby requiring less power to operate them and reducing the strain on the machine.

A still further object is to provide a machine that will be comparatively inexpensive to build or construct and in which the parts will not be liable to get out of working order and which will be simple and eflicient in operation.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and suchother objects as may hereinafter appear, the invention consists in the construction and in the arrangement of parts hereinafter particularly described and then sought to be specifically defined by the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, and in which Figure 1 is an end view of the machine in elevation with one of the hoppers broken away to show the grating in its bottom. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine with a portion of one of the hoppers broken away for the same purpose. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 2 2 of Fig. 2, showing in detail the construction of the cutting mechanism. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective of the cutting mechanism, and Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2.

In the drawings the numeral 1 designates the frame of the machine, which may be made of wood or any suitable material. It is provided on each side with standards 2, 3, and 4. Runners 5 are secured to the lower ends of the standards, or, if preferred, wheels may be used. A draft-iron 6 is attached to the front ends of the runners to facilitate the moving of the machine from place to place. Side boards 7 are fastened to the standards on both sides of the machine and support hoppers 8 for the reception of the harvested beets. Extending from one hopper to the other and forming a front thereto and also serving as a brace for the two sides of the machine is a board 9. The machine is further braced by a flooring 10 and a cross-bar 13, hereinafter described. The hoppers 8 are formed with inclined bottoms 11 and have gratings 12 at their lower ends, composed of bars spaced apart a sufficient distance to allow any loose earth that may be thrown in with the beets to fall through to the ground, but at the same time arranged close enough to prevent the beets from dropping out with the earth.

Secured to the tops of the oppositely-arranged side boards 7 and forming a brace therefor is a cross-bar 18, having secured thereto a pair of downwardly-projecting hangers 14, which are provided at their lower ends with suitable journal-bearings 15. A shaft 16, mounted in these bearings, is provided at its outer ends with yokes 17, which carry at their outer ends a ring 20. As the parts about to be described are provided in duplicate and are alike in construction and operation, a description of one set of the parts will suffice for the other. Each ring 20 projects into a circular opening 21, made in the side boards 7. The walls of the circular opening are rounded ofl to presenta smooth surface to the operator. A slicing-knife 22 is fastened to the back face of the ring and projects from the outer edge thereof. As clearly shown in the drawings, the slicingknife projecting from one side of the rings extends in the opposite direction to the knife from the other ring, so that said knives will be caused to operate alternately on the beets presented at the same time to the knives at opposite sides of the machine, thereby accomplishing a saving in the power used to operate them. It is also evident that the strain on the frame caused by the cutting operation and by the rapid revolving of the knives 22 will be reduced because only one knife operates at a time. The ring 20 projects into the circular opening 21 just far enough to allow its back face to come substantially flush with the inner surface of the side board 7, and thus it will be seen that the slicing-knife 22 in revolving will closely hug the 1nner surface of the side board. At one side of the circular opening 21 each side board is cut away to form an opening 23 to receive the top of the beets, and the lower edge along the opening is beveled to form a cutting edge or ledgerblade 24. The knife 22 being in .close contact with the inner surface of the side board 7 will when passing the ledger-blade 24: give a shearing action similar to that obtained by the operation of a pair of ordinary shears.

Brazed or otherwise secured to the ring 20 and extending backwardly from its inner edge and within the yoke 17 is a conical or dish-shaped cutter 25, provided with an opening 26 at its apex. I have shown this cutter as cone or dish shaped; but I do not wish to limit my invention in this. feature to this specific form of cutter, as it may be made in various shapes. The cutting edges 27 may be formed by slitting and turning in portions of the walls of the d1sh-shaped cutter 25 and then sharpening the edges. I have shown two of the cutting edges 27, but any desired number may be formed.

In order to rotate the shaft 16, a sprocketwheel 28 is keyed or otherwise secured thereto and is connected to another sprocket- Wheel 29 by means of a'sprocket-chain 30. (Shown in dotted line in Fig. 2.) The sprocket-wheel 29 is keyed or otherwise secured to a shaft 31, supported between the upwardly-extending ends of the standards 3. One end of the shaft 31 may extend through one of the standards 3 and have attached thereto a crank for turning it by hand-power, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1; but it is preferred to have a pulley 32 secured to the shaft and connect it by a belt 33 to a suitable source of powerfor instance, to an engine. (Not shown, but which may be supported on the flooring 10.)

It will be noticed that the end standards 4 are secured to the outside of the runners 5 instead of to the inside, as is the case with standards 2 and 3. This arrangement is made to prevent the standards from catching against the pile of tops and crowns deposited inside the frame of the machine by the cuting mechanism, and thereby interfering with moving the machine.

The operation of the machine is as follows: As the beets are harvested they are deposited in the hoppers 8 at one or both sides of the machine, the loose earth falling through the gratings 12. An 0 erator taking up a beet places it on the le ger-blade 24 outside the radius of the knife 22, and with the leaves and top inside of the machine then slides the beet,

along the ledger-blade until it comes under the revolving slicing-knife 22 which cuts ofi the top and a small part of the crown, which falls to the ground inside of the machine. He then places the beet with its head against the dish-shaped cutter 25, the cutting edge 27 of I which rapidly pares off the crown in a thin slice or paring, thereby removing all sprouts or buds. The operation having been completed, the beet with the top and crown removed is deposited in a suitable receptacle and the operation continues.

I have illustrated and described what I consider to be the preferred details of construction and arrangement of the several parts, as the same have been found very satisfactory in operation; but it is to be understood that changes can be made therein and essential features of my invention be embraced within the changes made.

Having described my invention and set forth its merits, what I claim is 1. A beet-topping device comprising a frame formed with an opening in its side and having an opening extending laterally thereto provided with a cutting edge along the same, a knife movable across the laterallyextending opening having the cutting edge to remove the top of a beet-crown, and a rotatable member in the other opening, said member having a cutting edge set at an angle obliqueto the axis of rotation of said member to remove the sides of the crown of a beet after the beet is received from the knife of the laterally extending opening, substantially as described.

2. In a beet-topping machine, the combination with the frame, of the rotatable shaft, the yokes carried at the ends of the shaft, the rings supported from the yokes, and the slicing-knives and dish-shap ed paring-cutters supported from the rings, substantially as dish-shaped paring-cutters carried by the yokes, substantially as described.

4. A beet-topping machine comprising a frame provided at one end, on opposite sides, with hoppers having grated bottoms, a rotatable shaft supported in suitable bearings at the opposite end of the frame, slicing-knives and dish-shaped paring-cutters carried by the shaft at opposite ends thereof, said knives standing substantially at right angles to the shaft, and the paring-cutters at an angle oblique to their axes of rotation, a portion of the frame between the hoppers and knives being removed for the transfer of the beets from the hopper to the knives, a ledger-blade located in the opening between the hoppers and knives to receive a portion of the beets to have the tops sliced by a shearing cut of the knives, and means for transmitting power to the rotatable shaft, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

PETER BROWN.

Witnesses:

A. J. ELLIOTT, CHAS. G. HUFFSMITH. 

